Editorials
[Fantastic Fest] 10 Horror Films to Keep on Your Radar!
The last week of September is a busy one for horror fans in Austin, Texas because of Fantastic Fest, a film festival that focuses on screening horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian and cult films. The 8-day festival takes place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and sees over 70 feature films screened for attendees. Each day has five time slots, with five or six films playing during each time slot. It’s an exhausting but incredibly fun week.
I managed to see 26 films this year, 23 of which belonged to the horror or thriller genres.* There were a few amazing films, a lot of decent (or as I like to call them, “meh”) ones and only one total dud (seriously though, that one is bad).
The 10 horror films listed below were among the strongest present at Fantastic Fest this year and should absolutely be on your radar. You won’t want to miss these when they eventually get released. Of course, it’s possible you may have to wait a while for some of these to get distribution. Some of my “Best Of” list from last year are either just now getting released (Better Watch Out) or have yet to see a release (Another WolfCop).
*Despite my best efforts, I was not able to catch every single horror or thriller film this year. The ones I missed were: Cold Hell, Let the Corpses Tan, Radius, Super Dark Times, The Originals and Les Affamés.
1. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
My favorite film of the Fantastic Fest was actually one that our own Benedict Seal gave a negative review (1 out of 5 skulls, to be exact) to just four months ago when it screened at Cannes. What can I say? I’m a glutton for misery. As I said in my own review, Yorgos Lanthimos’ (The Lobster, Dogtooth) latest film is most certainly not a film for everyone (there were quite a few walkouts at my screening), but I loved all 120 of its excruciatingly unsettling minutes. It will receive a limited theatrical release from A24 on October 20, 2017.
2. Good Manners
As I state in my 4.5-skull review for Good Manners: don’t read anything about it and don’t watch a trailer for it. Go in as blind a possible and you will most likely fall in love with it the same way I did. The Brazilian-French production is a heartwarming fairy tale that has plenty of surprises in store for patient viewers (at 135 minutes, it is a little too long). Good Manners is still seeking distribution but with any luck it will get snatched up soon because it’s a real gem.
3. Gerald’s Game
Mike Flanagan does the seemingly impossible and adapts Stephen King’s “unfilmable” novel Gerald’s Game into one helluva film. Carla Gugino gives a bravura performance in a film which sees a woman talking to herself while handcuffed to a bed for the majority of its runtime. The best part? It’s already streaming on Netflix so you can watch it now!
4. Anna and the Apocalypse
Who doesn’t love a good Christmas-themed zombie movie musical? Made with love by the friends of the creator (who sadly died from osteosarcoma before filming could begin), Anna and the Apocalypse is a joyous time at the movies, filled with buckets of blood, exciting dance numbers and a killer soundtrack. It is currently seeking a distributor, but I’m betting it won’t take long for someone to snatch this up. It’s simply that good.
5. My Friend Dahmer
Anyone expecting Marc Meyers’ adaptation of John Backderf’s graphic novel My Friend Dahmer to be a serial killer slasher film may find it to be a bit of a tease. The film is a quietly chilling slice-of-life film chronicling Jeffrey Dahmer’s senior year of high school. It’s a slow burn that doesn’t necessarily build up to anything, but it features a phenomenal performance from Disney Channel alum Ross Lynch as Dahmer as well as a strong supporting turn from Anne Heche as his mother Joyce. My Friend Dahmer will get a limited theatrical release on November 3, 2017.
6. Thoroughbreds
This film will garner a lot of attention for being Anton Yelchin’s (R.I.P.) final film role, and while he is a hoot in newcomer Cory Finley’s viciously dark comedy (think Heathers), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) are the standouts as former childhood friends who hatch a plan to murder the latter’s stepfather. It drags a bit in the middle, but there are enough dark little treats for viewers to merit a watch. Thoroughbreds is was picked up for distribution by Focus Features and is set for a limited theatrical release on March 9, 2018.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin and Olivia Cooke appear in Thoroughbred by Cory Finley, an official selection of the NEXT program at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
7. Tigers are Not Afraid
Issa López brings us another horror fairy tale in the form of Tigers Are Not Afraid, a lovely and tragic story about a young girl who, after losing her mother, joins a gang of children who find themselves up against dangerous members of a drug cartel. Reminiscent of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Tigers Are Not Afraid is a confident and soul-crushing third feature from López. It wasn’t really on my radar, but after hearing about all of the festival-goers walking out sobbing I had to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did. Tigers are Not Afraid is still seeking distribution.
8. Rift
The second feature from Child Eater director Erlingur Thoroddsen is a slow burn if there ever was one, which may turn off more impatient viewers, but it certainly pays off in the third act. The film manages to be a horror film about a gay couple without it being about their sexuality, a refreshing quality in this age of cinema. It wasn’t my absolute favorite of the festival, but our own Ari Drew writes in his review that Rift is “a cohesive, subversive, and effectively emotional narrative experience. That it also features two exceptionally multi-dimensional gay protagonists while tackling themes of love, loss, guilt, and fear in the context of same-sex relationships is absolutely refreshing, in the name of both Icelandic horror and queer horror cinema alike.” Rift was acquired by Breaking Glass Pictures back in June for North American distribution. It will be getting a concurrent VOD and DVD release with a mini theatrical run in November.
9. The Endless
If there’s one thing you should do before seeing The Endless, the third feature from writing/directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (who also star in the film), it’s seek out their debut feature Resolution (our review) and watch it immediately. As Brad mentioned in his review out of Tribeca, The Endless will fuck your mind (his words, not mine). The film sees two brothers (Benson and Moorhead) return to the cult that they escaped years ago, and that’s really all you need to know about this slow burn chiller. It was acquired for distribution by Well Go USA and should see a release sometime in early 2018 so be on the lookout!
10. Rabbit
Rabbit is the debut feature from Australian-born Luke Shanahan, but you wouldn’t know it just from watching it. Rabbit, which tells the story of a young woman (Adelaide Clemens, ) searching for her presumed-dead twin sister, is an impressive debut from the filmmaker. Like so many other films on this list, it is a slow burn that will likely test the patience of many a viewer (there were a lot of those at Fantastic Fest this year…..), but as I said in my review its gorgeous cinematography and compelling lead performance from Clemens make it worth the watch alone.
Honorable Mention: Bodied
I couldn’t include Joseph Kahn’s (Detention, Torque) Bodied on the list since it is far from horror, but it was my second favorite film of the festival (after Sacred Deer) and won the Audience Award at Fantastic Fest. It is an incendiary film about such hot-button issues as racism and stereotyping that will undoubtedly spark plenty of heated debates. Set in the underground world of rap battling, the film follows Adam (Calum Worthy) on his journey to becoming a competitive rapper while writing his graduate thesis on the subject. It is refreshing to see Kahn tone down his music video rapid-editing style after the all-over-the-place (in the best way) Detention, but the film belongs to Worthy, who turns in a star-making performance (The Flash‘s Grant Gustin, who backed out of filming a month prior to shooting, is probably kicking himself right now). Bodied is currently shopping to distributors, and whichever company gets it has a surefire hit on their hands.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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